Boyfriend for However Long
by WhatATangledWebSheWeaves
Summary: After witnessing his Captain's daughter having a horrible break-up, can Izuru Kira step in and pick up the pieces? IzuruOC RoseOC KisukeOC with a whole lotta OC kids. Future fic
1. Chapter 1

**Aaaaaall rightie! Here's my Valentine's Day short-ish shot for Izuru Kira and my OC Midori Otoribashi. Please keep in mind that this is WAAAAAAAAAAY after the Winter War and all the other stuff, k? ^^**

Chapter 1

Izuru paced nervously in front of the Otorabashi residence, wondering whether or not to go in and visit. He looked up at the window on the left of the second floor, his mind wandering to the young woman who lived in that bedroom. He couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of guilt at the silent feelings that he had for her. Despite who her father was, she was decades, even centuries younger than him; and he, with his knowledge of living-world morals, couldn't help but feel that gap in age was something that should be keeping him from feeling anything…

"HEEEEEEEY, KUMO-SAAAAN!" a loud, young girl's voice yelled from right behind Izuru, making him shout in surprise and turn around frantically. The source of the voice turned out to be the middle Otorabashi child, Akina. Her long brown-ish blonde hair was up in the usual pigtails and her bluish-purple eyes gleaming mischievously as she regarded him with a wide grin. Her uniform and school bag were enough evidence as to where she had just come from. "Nice ta see you!"

"N-Nice to see y-" Izuru's greeting was cut short by Akina grabbing his wrist and dragging him through the front door. The transition from the crisp February air to the warm interior of the house confused Izuru's senses slightly.

Akina was quick to remove her shoes and slide her slippers on while calling out, "I'm ho~ome! And Kumo-san is here too!"

A sweet voice rang from the other room in response. "Well, don't be afraid to come in, Kira-san, and Akina-chan, I expect you to have your homework done before you go out later."

"Hai, Okaa-san!" Akina bolted down the hall and up the stairs almost faster than Izuru could blink before he slid his own shoes and jacket off, placing them in the appropriate places, and walked in to the living room. The first thing he noticed was the wheelchair that was sitting next to the couch and then he saw Nikki Otorabashi sitting on the couch, blanket draped over her legs and a shawl around her shoulders.

The woman looked up at him as he entered the room and smiled warmly at him. "It's good to see you again, Kira-san. I've been able to sense your reiatsu ever since you set foot on the street and I would have invited you inside earlier, had I been in any condition to move without aid."

Izuru bowed his head slightly in apology. "I apologize, Nikki-san. I was unsure if you were prepared for company and I didn't want to impose on you all."

Nikki laughed and gestured at the couch across from her, telling him to go ahead and have a seat. "Please, Kira-san. We're used to unexpected company, so you're welcome anytime you feel the need to visit."

Izuru took the offered seat and smiled gratefully at her. "Arigatou, Nikki-san."

Nikki's silvery-blue eyes glinted in the same mischievous way that Akina's did before she commented, "Midori-chan will be home in about 10 or 15 minutes, if you're willing to wait."

Izuru felt his face heat up in slight embarrassment and he scratched the back of his head nervously. "H-How did you…?"

Nikki put a finger to her lips and teased, "That's a secret~~"

Izuru now found it difficult to look the woman in the eye. The fact that she knew about his feelings for her daughter made him feel even more backed into a corner. Tension was thick in the air until the door opened a second time and a blonde ten-year-old boy ran in after sliding his shoes off and hugged Nikki around the neck. "I'm home, Mama! Were you lonely at all?"

Nikki hugged her youngest child and smiled. "Of course I wasn't, Tokkou-kun. I knew that you all would be home before too long." She then sat him on the couch next to her, giving both herself and Izuru a good view of his violet eyes. "Where's Midori-chan, though? She usually meets you on the way home and walks with you here."

Tokkou thought back a minute before he commented, "I did see onee-sama heading my way, but then a guy with her school uniform came up to her and they talked a little and then they walked over to the park. But I didn't wanna interrupt a conversation that onee-sama was having…" The young boy looked upset as he looked at his mother "Did I do something wrong?"

Nikki patted his head, reassuring smile plastered on her lips. "Not at all, sweetie. Now, why don't you go and put your stuff away? Papa helped me make some chocolate cookies earlier."

The boy was gone in a flash and Nikki's mood became serious. "But, truth be told, I am a little concerned. Kira-san, if it wouldn't be too much to ask…"

Izuru nodded, already catching her drift, and stood up, making his way to the front door as he replied to her, "I'll go and see if she's okay. I passed by the park on my way here, so I know where to look."

Nikki smiled warmly at him and bowed her head in gratitude. "Arigatou gozaimasu."

The young man smiled nervously and waved her thanks off, saying, "It's no problem at all, Nikki-san." Walking back to the front door, Izuru pulled his shoes and coat on in a heartbeat and stepped back out into the crisp February air.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Izuru retraced his steps back to the park, which was located about two blocks away from the Otoribashis' residence. Part of him didn't know why he didn't just shunpo to a location near the park and just walk the rest of the way. The other part of him understood why he didn't: despite how many times he had visited the living world, he always found the change in scenery to be inviting and thought that it was best enjoyed by travelling by foot instead of shunpo. That, and if other people besides Midori were present where he exited his shunpo, it would raise unwanted questions.

He came into view of the park as he was contemplating this and could hear two voices, one, a young man's and the other, a young woman's. And from the sounds of it, they were arguing.

"You can't answer the simple question, can you? Do you really hate me that much?" the woman yelled, her voice cracking.

"Maybe I don't _want _to answer your question!" the man shouted back. Izuru walked to the park's entrance and found a sight the wrenched at his heart: Midori Otoribashi, who was on the verge of tears, was clutching the sleeve of the uniform of a boy her age, if not slightly older, who had probably tried to leave before she had grabbed it.

Midori's purple-and-bluish gray eyes glistened as the tears began to spill out of them. "You won't even tell me why! An answer is all I'm asking for!"

The young man wrenched his sleeve out of her grip. "I don't have to answer you anymore, Otoribashi! Because it's over! Hear me? OVER!"

A dead silence fell over the park. The young man shoved his hands in his pocket and stormed past Izuru, not even bothering to give him a sidelong glance. Izuru watched him leave for a little while, but his attention was turned back to Midori when he heard her bag hit the ground. She was just standing there, hand extended slightly to where she had been holding the young man's uniform and her expression one of disbelief, as if his words had petrified her. He cautiously walked up to her and, as he picked up her bag from the ground, she blinked a few times before gazing curiously at him.

She shook her head vigorously, almost like she wasn't believing what she saw or she was trying to get her act together, and calmly asked, "Kira-san? When did you get here?"

Izuru could only smile warmly at her as he stood back up and answered, "Just now."

Midori's face portrayed her unease as she asked in a hushed tone, "Did you just…see that?"

Izuru hesitated for a little but then sighed, "Yes. I did."

Midori looked even more anxious for a few seconds before she put a smile on her face. "I'm sorry you had to see that. I guess my voice carries a lot farther than I thought. Heheh…"

Izuru picked up on her feeble attempt to alleviate the situation and smiled. "It's all right. And really, I heard that guy's voice first."

Midori bit her lip and clutched her stomach, causing to Izuru to almost ask her if she was okay, and then broke down into a fit of giggles. Izuru sighed in relief; the sight of her _almost _crying had nearly torn his heart in half. If she really had broken down and cried…he probably would have died…

Midori held out her hand to him, still smiling. "Can I have my bag back, Kira-san?"

Izuru had to look down at his hands to remember he was holding her school bag. He hastily handed it back to her, blushing slightly. "O-oh. Sure."

She took it from him and began walking back the direction he had come from, Izuru taking pace next to her. "I take it you're here to visit tou-san and give him the latest report, ne?"

Izuru scratched his chin, unsure of how to answer that. "Well….yes and no. I _do _have a report for Rojuro-taicho, but I came here mainly because I felt like taking a small break. Of course, I asked the company's 3rd and 4th seats to look after things while I'm gone."

Midori nodded and swung her bag back and forth in front of her. "Well, you came here at the right time. Tomorrow's Valentine's Day and they have a whole lot of good deals on food and other things as well."

Izuru stopped dead in his tracks. Tomorrow…was Valentine's Day. His mind worked in over-gear, processing what he had witnessed and the news he had just received.

Midori stopped after walking a few steps and realizing that Izuru wasn't beside her anymore. She turned around and that's when she saw a disbelieving look on Izuru's features as he looked at her. Curious and concerned, she inquired, "Is something wrong, Kira-san?"

Izuru paused, unsure of how to delicately approach the topic he was about to present. "Midori-san…you just broke up with that guy who was in the park, right?"

Midori blinked a few times before smiling forlornly, her voice cracking a bit. "Yeah, I did."

"And you said that tomorrow's Valentine's Day?"

Tears pooled at the edges of her eyes. "Yeah…"

Izuru's expression became one of loathing, disbelief, and sympathy as he stated, "Then that means…"

"Yeah…it's pathetic, right?" Midori wiped the falling tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her uniform, her smile still in place. Almost as though she was mocking herself. "I can't hold on to a guy for more than a few weeks, let alone long enough to celebrate Valentine's Day with them." She chuckled wryly. "I guess I should have seen this coming…"

Izuru couldn't control his actions. He wanted to comfort her, to wipe her tears away, to let her know she wasn't the one at fault. Before he could register what he was doing, he had wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest, muttering soothing words that just spouted subconsciously from his mouth.

Midori was stunned for all of a moment, then she was clinging to him and bawling her heart out, her façade dropping in front of Izuru's comfort and reassurance. They just stood there a few heartbeats, standing in each other's comfort, until Midori's crying had subsided. She pushed gently on his chest and he reluctantly released her from his embrace.

She stood there and wiped the remaining tears off her cheeks. Her eyes were just slightly swollen from her recent crying, but he only got a glimpse of them as she bowed to him and murmured, "Arigatou gozaimasu, Kira-san. That really helped me fell a little better."

Izuru scratched the back of his neck and muttered, "You're welcome." He was unsure of how to continue when he remembered the main reason he had gone to look for her in the first place. "Oh, Nikki-san was worried about you."

Midori chuckled nervously. "Oops. Tokkou-kun probably saw me walking off with… Watanabe-san. I can imagine why they'd be worried." She started to trot off in the direction of her house when she stopped and looked over her shoulder at him, smiling slightly. "Why don't you come back with me and have dinner with us? As a thank you."

Izuru paused before answering. While he wanted to stay by her side and make sure she was okay, the conflicting emotions from his reasoning, which said that he shouldn't have feelings for her because of the age difference between him and her, and his desires, which told him to keep her close and cherish her, made him debate his answer. HARD.

Finally, he nodded, although it was reluctantly, and took up stride with her as she continued to walk home.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Several hours later, Izuru was sliding his shoes back on as he listened to the television from the other room. He stuck his head back into the living room, where the entire Otoribashi family was gathered, including Rojuro, who had returned from his job as assistant manager of an instrument shop a few minutes before dinner had been served. "I'm leaving now. Thanks for the wonderful time."

"Bye, Kira-san."

"See you, Kumo-san."

"Akina…."

"Sorry, Otou-san. Bye, Kira-san."

"See you next month, Izuru-kun."

Midori stood up and walked to the kitchen, coming back with a thermos that Izuru had noticed her working on after dinner. She handed it to him and said, "Something to keep you warm on your way…well, wherever it is you're going!"

Izuru unscrewed the cap and took a deep breath. The aroma of sweet, succulent white chocolate with just a hint of espresso greeted his senses and he smiled at her as he screwed the cap back on. "Arigatou, Midori-san."

He turned around and walked back to the front door, unaware that Midori was following him. As his hand rested on the door handle, he felt something grab his jacket. Turning, he found that Midori had grabbed the sleeve of his jacket. "And thank you, Kira-san, for comforting me earlier." She smiled wistfully. "If there's anything I can help you with, please let me know."

Izuru stopped a moment. While he wasn't surprised at the fact she had thanked him again, her offer had caught him off guard. She was probably still emotionally traumatized from her recent break-up so he shouldn't demand something too emotionally taxing like a private date or anything similar. But tomorrow was Valentine's Day and he didn't want her to be alone for that day. So, taking both of those facts to mind, he came up with an answer. He smiled kindly at her and asked, "Can you show me around town tomorrow? I haven't been here in a while, and I don't really want to get lost."

Midori blinked in surprise and a light blush dusted her cheeks as she smiled back at him. "Sure thing-"

"EH? Is Kumo-san _really_ putting the moves on onee-sama?" Both Midori and Izuru jumped out of their skins and faced Akina, who was standing just outside the living room with a Cheshire grin on her face. She started dancing around, singing, "Kumo-san and onee-sama, sittin' in a tree, k-i-s-s-"

"Akinaaa!" Midori whined, lunging at her little sister who dodged easily and dashed up the stairs laughing hysterically. Midori turned back around to look at Izuru, her blush deepening at the sight of the lopsided grin on Izuru's face. "I mean, um…I do have school tomorrow, but if you wouldn't mind waiting until I got out, I'd be more than happy to show you around Karakura."

Izuru simply nodded and replied, "I'd be more than happy to wait."

"Okay. I go to 1st Karakura High and we get out around noon."

"Alright," Izuru commented as he nodded and slid the door open. "I'll see you tomorrow, Midori-san."

He walked out and slid the door shut, beginning to walk down the street. He hadn't even crossed in front of their neighbor's house when he heard the Otoribashi's door slide open and shut again and then the sound of sandaled feet running up to him. He turned around to find Midori handing a folded slip of paper, her face completely red from either the bitter cold or complete embarrassment. "Mi-Midori-_chan_, please."

He blinked a few times as he took the paper and opened it to find her cell phone number in it. He quickly pulled out his Soul Pager, put her number in it, and sent her a quick text with his number. As he pocketed the paper and the pager, he smiled at her. "Then call me Izuru-kun. Okay?" Midori nodded vigorously and he patted her head, telling her, "Now why don't you go back inside? You must be freezing."

"A-all right. See you tomorrow, Kira…Izuru-kun," Midori called over her shoulder as she ran back into the house.

Izuru watched as she left his field of vision and then looked up at the sky, contemplating what he had just gotten himself into, before he shunpoed back to Urahara's house.

**Okay, quick profile on Rojuro and Nikki's kids:**

**1) Midori (16) - looks more like Rojuro than Nikki, but has purple-and-bluish gray eyes. Her hair is naturally wavy.**

**2) Akina (12) - mix of Rojuro and Nikki. Has her mom's eyes. Unnaturally hyper and just a tad bit nosy.**

**3) Tokkou (7) - looks like Rojuro minus his short, brown hair. Quiet and reserved. **

**So R&R please~~!  
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	2. Chapter 2

**And here's chapter 2~! Hope you enjoy it~!**

**Warning: A small bit of high school drama ahead! Don't read if you don't like.**

Chapter 2

Midori couldn't help but tap her fingers on her desk impatiently. The school day just seemed to be dragging by second by agonizing second, and while she normally relished in the fact that these Saturday classes helped her stay on top of her regular classes, today they were just a thorn in her side. It didn't help that she had to sit in the same row as the guy who had viciously ripped her heart out just the other day.

"And that concludes today's lessons," their sensei called out, slamming her book on the table and startling several of the students out of their naps. "Please have your homework completed and ready to turn in on Monday."

The class came alive with incoherent grumbling and the scraping of chairs as the students started filing out of the room. Well, one student, a first year who was familiar to Midori, pushed through the outgoing crowd to come and sit on Midori's desk. "¡Hola, Midori-chan!"

Midori looked up at Victoria Sado, the tan-skinned, slightly busty, oldest child of the Sado family. "Hi to you, too, Victoria-chan. I take it your class got out early today, right?"

The tan-skinned girl shrugged, twirling a bit of her wavy, dark-chocolate colored hair around her finger. "Not really. Our third teacher was sick and the faculty couldn't find a replacement, so the principal said to either go to study hall until noon or just to go on home. I was at the study hall until five minutes ago." She stopped twirling her hair around her finger and leaned in close to Midori, who leaned back a bit out of reflex.* "But that's beside the point~! Aren't you and Watanabe-senpai coming to my okaa-san and oba-san's bakery today? They have special offers for couples that come in today!"

Midori's eyes widened for a split second and then clouded over, as she quietly explained, "I won't be spending the day with Watanabe-san."

Victoria's dark blue eyes widened in shock and sadness. "But why?"

Midori opened her mouth to answer when a condescending female voice drifted to the two of them from behind Midori. "Because he dumped her so that he could have the best in life."

Midori and Victoria turned to find 1st Karakura High's wealthy prima donna, Akemi Tanaka, smiling snidely down at the two of them. "I mean, who wouldn't dump a loser like you for a complete hottie like me? In fact, what did you even get Shuji-kun for Valentine's Day? I bet it's nothing compared to going to the movies and sitting in the red box seats, or a dinner at a five star restaurant. Well, I'm giving him _both_!" She smirked triumphantly.

Midori didn't display any of the complete loathe and contempt she was feeling, but instead put on a cool front as she stood up and calmly retorted, "The amount of money you put into a gift won't mean anything if the person the gifts are for doesn't enjoy the gifts. For instance, if Watanabe-san hated the stuffy atmosphere of a five-star restaurant or hated the view from red box seats at theaters, which he does," Midori shrugged, "you'd probably be better served by flushing your money down the toilet. Or is it your sweet daddy's money?"

Victoria had to stifle full-blown laughter at the pissed off look Akemi gave Midori at that last comment. Akemi regained her composure, though, and jabbed, "It still doesn't change the fact you'll be alone today."

Midori smiled a honey sweet smile. "Oh, I won't be alone. A family friend came into town yesterday and I'm going to show them the sights around Karakura. Have a good day, Tanaka-san." Midori began to walk off while Victoria stuck her tongue out at Akemi, who was standing there in a seething rage.

Once the two of them had exited the school, walking past fellow student who were whispering about what they had heard from friends who had heard the verbal war in 2-C's classroom, and sat down in the shade of one of the trees in the courtyard, Victoria let loose a loud guffaw and started to pound on the ground as Midori watched on with just a little concern for the girl's poor hand. When Victoria calmed down enough, she breathed, " ¡_Oh__, Dios mío_! The look on that _porcina fea_'s face! That was so _inapreciable_!"**

Midori chuckled nervously, appreciative of her friend's support. And yet, something that Akemi had said still gnawed at her conscience. From her backpack, she pulled out the bag of homemade chocolates that she had intended to give to Shuji and gazed forlornly at it. "But… what if she has a point? Maybe he'll enjoy her gifts _because_ they're so expensive."

Victoria gave Midori a blank look. "Midori-chan."

Midori looked over at her and was immediately greeted by a sharp pain in her forehead as Victoria flicked her there. While Midori was sitting there, stunned, Victoria snapped, "Just ignore her! Her gifts are only things that she bought with her daddy's money while you worked your butt off babysitting and stuff to get the ingredients for the chocolate that you poured your heart into! So don't let what she said get to you."

Midori paused rubbing the spot where Victoria had flicked her forehead and smiled appreciatively. "Arigatou, Victoria-chan."

Victoria gave her a thumbs up and a wide smile. "No problem~!" She turned her attention to the entrance to the school grounds and her eyes lit up at the sight of the person who had just walked onto the premises. She started waving her entire arm in a wide motion, calling, "Over here, Kuro-kun!"

Kuro Jaegerjacquez's head swiveled towards the two of them and he called back over his shoulder to someone the girls couldn't see. "Their classes are over now. You could have stepped onto the school grounds even before that, you know."

The girls were curious as to who it was he was talking to until Izuru stepped into view from around the corner. "Sumimasen. I wasn't sure what was permitted and what wasn't, and I didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble."

Kuro just shrugged as he and Izuru walked up to the two girls. "Che, whatever." To Victoria, he asked, "So are we going to get going or what?"

Victoria huffed and pouted. "Is that _really _how you're going to greet me, Kuro Jaegerjacquez?"

Kuro sighed in exasperation. "Fine, fine. Nice to see you, Victoria. You wanna get going?"

Victoria's indignant attitude vanished an instant later as she entwined her hand with his and chirped, "Sure~~!" As she and Kuro walked away, Victoria waved back at Midori and Izuru, saying, "You two should swing by the Hime Pan-ya sometime today, if you can. Okay?"

"Okay!" Midori called back as she waved to Victoria and Kuro before they exited the school grounds.

Izuru gave her a look of utter confusion. "What's the Hime Pan-ya?"***

"It's a café that Victoria-chan's okaa-san and oba-san opened about 15 years ago, give or take a few months," Midori explained, standing up and dusting her skirt off.

"Ah," was Izuru's reply as he started walking beside her and left the school grounds with her. "So where did you want to go first?"

Midori scratched the back of her neck and smiled nervously. "Actually, I wanted to swing home first, get changed and grab a few things before I give you the tour. But if you'd rather just start on the tour, then…"

"No, no. It's fine," Izuru assured her, nodding. With that, he took up stride with her as she continued to walk home and talked with her about how school had been and other trivial things. And yet, he found himself clinging to her every word.

**For those of you who read my Christmas special, I hope you remembered Kuro~! He's 18 in this story, so he's graduated high school already ^^**

**Quick bio for Victoria (15) - got her tan skin and chocolate colored hair from her dad. Got her breast size and eye color from her mom. Is cheerful and friendly and won't hesitate to stick up for her own friends. Sometimes speaks Spanish at random. Has two younger siblings: Mai (10) and Oscar (7).**

*** - Midori's personal space bubble has been popped XDD**

**** - ¡_Oh__, Dios mío (Oh my god)_! The look on that _porcina fea (ugly pig)_'s face! That was so _inapreciable (priceless)_!**

***** - 'Hime Pan-ya' is Japanese for 'Princess Bakery'  
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	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, so there's a bit of a time skip between the last chapter and this one. I hope there isn't any confusion ^^**

Chapter 3

It was about two hours later when Izuru and Midori finally made it to the Hime Pan-ya. It wasn't the fact that Midori had taken a long time to get changed; in fact, she had only taken about ten minutes total and that included changing her hairstyle and doing a light dusting of make-up. Actually, what had delayed them was the fact that Nikki had needed them to run to the convenience store for a few items and then she had needed their help around the house for a little while before they were finally able to leave. Nikki had paid them for their troubles, and Izuru hadn't minded helping Midori with the errands. He had even told her so countless times.

But that didn't stop her from incessantly apologizing.

"I mean, I didn't mean to use up some of your vacation time by doing something like that!" Midori apologized as she opened the door to the bakery.

Izuru sighed as he held the door open so that she could walk inside and he followed after her. "And I'll tell you again: I enjoyed helping you run those errands. So please stop apologizing, Midori-chan."

"But…!"

"Welcome to Hime Pan-ya!"

The cheerful voice drew their attention to the woman standing at the container. Orihime Ishida's eyes widened in recognition of the two newcomers to the bakery. "Oh, Izuru-fukutaicho and Midori-chan! This is a surprise! I didn't realize the two of you were dating!"

Both of their cheeks turned crimson and they tripped over their tongues trying to make a response of some kind, before Victoria's voice cut in, "Oba-san! Focus on taking their orders and not their relationship status!"

Orihime pouted, which was just a little odd on the woman's face, before she cheered up and asked, "Would you like to try the Couple's Special today? It includes two red velvet cupcakes, which are topped with homemade cream cheese and strawberry-flavored sprinkles, made fresh today from scratch and two hot dark chocolate cocoas with cherry syrup."

Izuru had to bring himself back to reality from envisioning the cupcakes and the hot chocolate. Midori had to do the same thing before she replied, "I think that sounds wonderful."

"I'll pay," Izuru cut in.

Midori opened her mouth to argue, but stopped and thought a second. Finally, she crossed her arms and pouted, saying, "Fine, but I'm picking up the tip."

Izuru only smiled and handed Orihime the money necessary for the purchase and Midori put the tip in the jar. As he was accepting his change, Midori walked further into the warm-atmosphere café, where she could see many middle and high school student couples situated in the booths and tables, and located the booth from where Victoria's voice had come. Victoria was still in her school uniform and she had her History book out, a pencil tucked behind her ear as she glared at the inanimate object. "Having issues, Victoria-chan?"

Victoria sighed and shut the book before stashing it and the pencil back into her book bag, which she was keeping under the table. "I'll just work on it later. Never liked History to begin with."

"To tell the truth, I don't either," Midori admitted sliding into the seat across from Victoria. Midori noticed that on the table there was a cup near Victoria and then a cup near her. She pointed at it. "Is this Kuro-kun's?"

Victoria nodded and took a sip of her drink. "He had to go to the bathroom shortly before the two of you got here. He should be back soon." She smirked devilishly at Midori. "But that aside, what took the two of you so long to get here? You two weren't doing anything _travieso_*, were you?"

"Anything what?" Izuru asked as he came up to the booth and sat down in the same row as Midori, who was as red as a beet.

Midori covered Victoria's mouth before she could respond to that. "I'll tell you later, Izuru-kun." She then tentatively removed her hand from Victoria's mouth.

Victoria pouted and crossed her arms, whining, "You're no fun, Midori-chan."

Midori sent a dead-pan stare her way. "To answer your question, we didn't. Okaa-san needed a little help, so we chipped in."

Kuro came up to the group then and sat down next to Victoria, grabbing his cup from in front of Midori. "Hey, guys."

"Hi, Kuro-kun," Midori returned. "How's college?"

Kuro ran a hand through his mussed-up blue hair that looked just like his father's had when he had been in Aizen's army. "A pain. At least they don't care what color my hair is at the seminars."

Victoria poked him in the shoulder. "You _mentiroso_**. You told me that your college classes were online."

Kuro's teal-ish green eye twitched in annoyance as he calmly drank the rest of his hot chocolate. "Baka. I still have to attend seminars at the local college to get credit for my classes."

She poked him again. "Meanie! You didn't have to call me a baka!"

"Stop poking me!"

"They certainly are a comedy duo, aren't they?" a voice that was similar to Orihime's, but slightly deeper, commented. Izuru and Midori turned to find Nurihime Sado, Orihime's twin sister and Victoria's mother, standing there holding a tray with two drinks and two velvet cupcakes. She placed the drinks on the table first, one in front of each of them, then the plates with the cupcakes on them. She then picked up Kuro's finished drink, put it on the tray, and gazed thoughtfully at Izuru and Midori. "You know…Orihime-neechan was right. You two do look cute together."

Both turned crimson and looked down at the food in front of them as she looked at Victoria and Kuro who was currently pinching and stretching Victoria's cheeks to their physical limit. "And make sure that you two don't break anything. Okay, Kuro-kun, Victoria-chan?"

"Shí, Okaa-shan."*** "Hai, Sado-san." With their answers, Nuri left to go clean the other tables. Midori had to hold back the drool threatening to pour from her mouth at the smells coming from the cupcake and the hot chocolate. So she took her fork and sliced a bit of the morsel, promptly placing it in her mouth. The taste that greeted her was heavenly! The cream cheese icing, the strawberry sprinkles, and the spongy velvet cupcake all melded together in a euphoric medley that had Midori abandoning her fork and eating the cupcake by hand.

When she finished it, she let out a deep sigh of happiness. "Sugoi~~! The flavors, the texture, everything! It's so delicious~!"

Izuru, who had just finished his own cupcake as well, could only nod and agree with her. "It was certainly delicious." That's when he looked at Midori and noticed that in her haste, she had left a good-sized crumb on her right cheek near her lips. "Um, Midori-chan. You have some cupcake around your mouth."

Midori blushed slightly and tried to wipe her mouth clean on an available napkin, but the crumb remained. Not really seeing any other option, Izuru reached over and plucked the crumb off of her cheek by holding it between his fingers. He resisted the urge to eat that crumb and instead placed it on the napkin Midori had just used to clean the rest of her mouth.

Kuro and Victoria watched that exchange with avid interest. The two of them couldn't help but agree with Nurihime's earlier statement.

The two of them _did _look cute together.

**So you got to meet Nurihime, my OC for Chad. I could probably list all the OCs I have but it would take until New Year's XDD And one guess as to who Orihime's married to~**

**And the whole thing about the flavor of the cupcake was something I was able to experience for myself this past weekend~~ That was the best friggin' cupcake ever!**

**And about the school letting out at noon: I read online that some Japanese schools will hold school on Saturdays but that on Saturdays, they release school at noon~~ Just fyi~~!  
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*** - 'travieso' is Spanish for 'naughty'  
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****- 'mentiroso' is Spanish for 'liar'  
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***** -** **Here, Victoria is trying to say "Si, Okaa-san" but can't say it properly because Kuro's pinching her cheeks XDD**


	4. Chapter 4

**Again, another time skip. A majority of this chapter will be a summary of what all Izuru and Midori did on their not-so-quite date~~**

Chapter 4

Midori looked up at the sunset, pondering how wonderful her day had been. After leaving the Hime Pan-ya, and the teasing therein, the two of them had wandered the streets. Midori pointed out the places that she was familiar with or that Izuru didn't know. In some cases it was a mixture of both.

They had eventually passed the front of an arcade, which had a few crane games sitting just under the eaves of the front of the place. Through the glass of one of said crane games, Midori had spotted an adorable cell phone chain that had different musical notes dangling from the ends of seven separate chains that were the different colors of the rainbow. She had made the 'mistake', she called it, of stopping and looking at it and before she knew it, Izuru had gone and spent several of his 100 yen coins on the machine trying to get it for her. When he finally did get it and hand it to her, she felt obligated to treat him to a nearby crepe stand.

As they had finished eating their crepes while continuing walking through Karakura and encountering a few familiar faces, Midori had pointed out a music store that had just opened recently. Izuru suggested that they check it out, which they did, and had spent the next half an hour or so just browsing the shelves. Midori was actually surprised to find that Izuru liked instrumental music just as much, if not more, than she did. They ended up purchasing a few CDs each and leaving to continue the rest of their trek through the town.

They passed by a bookstore when Midori remembered that she needed to purchase new musical pieces to practice. Izuru had followed her in and promptly went to the poetry section while she browsed through the musical instruction section. It hadn't taken her long to choose a few different books that she wanted to try but when she went up to the check-out counter, she was mildly surprised to find Izuru up there purchasing a pocket book of haikus. She didn't comment on it, secretly wondering how long he had liked haikus.

When they had exited the store, Midori's phone alarm had gone off. She pulled it out to find that it was quarter till five. She needed to head home soon and start dinner…when she had explained that to Izuru, he had been understanding and had asked if he could have dinner with them again tonight. She hadn't hesitated to say that that was fine and began to walk home with him.

That was where she found herself now. Walking home with Izuru near the end of Valentine's Day. Throughout the day, many people had thought of them as an official 'couple' and had commented on it, though the two of them didn't say anything to contradict them. And Midori was silently grateful that they didn't contradict any of those people; during her time with Izuru, she couldn't help but notice how much of a gentleman he was. He was calm, collected, and polite, but, she had to admit, there was a certain distance that he kept her at from him, at least emotionally. She had to guess it was because the fact that her dad was his Captain. But she prayed that some day he would drop that barrier and love her as much as she loved him now.

"Midori-chan?" Izuru's voice cut through her train of thought and she turned to find him several feet behind her. "Was there somewhere else you wanted to go?"

Midori shook her head. "Nope."

Izuru pointed at the house he had stopped in front of. "I was just wondering because you didn't stop in front of your house."

Midori looked and found that she had indeed walked right past her house. She let out a nervous giggle and trotted back to where Izuru was standing. "Sumimasen. I was just lost in thought."

The man nodded acknowledgingly. "I know what that's like."

Midori nodded back at him and slid the front door open. As she stepped in and removed her shoes, her nose was greeted with the scent of something baking. Izuru slid the door shut behind him and began to remove his shoes while Midori put her sandals on and walked further into the house, calling out, "What's cooking?"

Rojuro's voice called back, "It's the potato medley soup that you all like."

Midori walked in to the kitchen, asking, "When will it be done?"

"In a few minutes, actually. Why don't you go put your stuff down in your room and get ready for dinner?"

"Okay, Tou-san." Midori went up the stairs as quickly as possible.

Rojuro continued working on the soup until Izuru entered the kitchen. The man looked over his shoulder at his subordinate and commented, "Midori-chan's room is the first one on the right when you go upstairs. If you're interested in seeing it, that is, Izuru-kun."

The information caught Izuru of guard but he managed to reply, "I-if you don't mind, Rojuro-taicho."

"Not at all."

Izuru bowed to his captain then proceeded upstairs and to Midori's room. Its arrangement was simple. A bed was next to the window and at the foot of the bed was her desk which had her school uniform and backpack placed over it. Next to her bed was a nightstand that was adorned by a reading lamp and a digital alarm clock, and next to the nightstand was her dresser. On top of the dresser was a small vanity set and a jewelry box as well as a picture of the entire Otoribashi family that had to have been taken relatively recently. There were two doors, one of which was shut while the other was half-opened to reveal that it led Midori's closet, so Izuru could safely guess that the other door led to a restroom. Next to the closet, there were two bookshelves, one of which was adorned with variuos music-related awards and the other with various books.

There was suddenly the sound of a toilet flushing and then a faucet was turned on in the restroom. After the faucet was turned off, Midori exited her restroom and started slightly when she saw Izuru standing in her room. She relaxed, though, and asked, "So, do you like my room?"

Izuru nodded and continued to gaze at her awards. "It's very…quaint. I like quaint." He turned a curious eye her way. "You certainly do have a lot of music awards."

Midori nodded as she sat down on her bed. "I've played a lot of different instruments ever since I turned 5. Okaa-san says I have Tou-san's passion for music."

"Do you still play?"

Midori shrugged. "Not as often. I play whenever I go to my music club after school, but otherwise I'm too busy."

Izuru nodded and looked back at the bookshelf. "I'd like to hear you play some day."

Midori blinked in surprise a few times, then blushed lightly and muttered, "Okay." There was a slight bit of tension in the air so she asked, "Why don't we go see if Tou-san's done cooking? I'm kind of hungry."

Izuru nodded and led the way back downstairs, Midori shutting her bedroom door behind her after shutting off the light. By the time Midori and Izuru had made it downstairs, Rojuro had already placed three bowls of hot soup at the table and was in the process of getting some coffee.

He looked over his shoulder at the two of them and asked, "Would either of you like cream or sugar in your coffee?"

"Both, please," they answered simlutaneously. Rojuro only chuckled as he prepared the coffees and set them on the table. The three of them sat down and muttered their thanks before beginning to eat the soup.

After a few minutes of silence, save for the clinking of silverware on the bowls and the mugs being moved around, Rojuro commented, "I think this has been the quietest dinner has been in a while."

Midori nodded in agreement. "Usually, Akina's repeating whatever gossip she happened to overhear or telling us about her day in school."

"Indeed." Rojuro paused then and gazed at his oldest child thoughtfully through his thin spectacles. "You seem to be in a better mood from this morning, Midori. Did you enjoy today that much?"

Midori blushed and made a point of not making eye contact with either her father or Izuru. "Yeah, I really enjoyed it…"

Rojuro nodded understandingly. "That's wonderful to hear." He inclined his head towards Izuru and stated, "Thank you for helping her have such a wonderful day, Izuru-kun."

"I-it was no problem at all, Rojuro-taicho," Izuru replied earnestly, inclining his head at his superior. A nod was the only response Izuru received before they all returned to eating. They finished shortly afterward and Midori made a move to go and start cleaning up when Rojuro stopped her by gently grabbing her wrist.

"Why don't you go for a walk around the neighborhood with Izuru-kun, Midori? It's getting late and he has to head back to the Seireitei early tomorrow."

For some reason, this news stunned Midori but on the outside she grinned, ran up the stairs, grabbed her purse, and came back downstairs to find Izuru ready to go. She hastily slid her shoes and jacket on and exited the house, Izuru closing the door behind the two of them. Rojuro watched them leave, only turning around when he heard his wife's voice calling from their bedroom.

Outside, Izuru breathed on his hands, trying to warm them slightly, seeing how the sun was almost completely set and it had dropped several degrees. He looked to Midori and inquired, "Did you have a specific path you wanted to take?"

Midori beamed at him and laced her fingers between his. "I'm glad you asked."

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Izuru's breath caught in his throat. She had lead him to the park where he had witnessed her being dumped by her boyfriend. But, with the sun barely above the horizon, the lights around the park were on and gave it a brand new atmosphere. He was brought back to his senses when he heard Midori calling his name. Looking around, he found that she had situated herself on one of the park benches off to his left and quickly went over to join her.

She smiled at him, asking, "So did you enjoy today, Izuru-kun?"

"Hai," Izuru responded earnestly as he sat down next to her. "It was a nice change of pace from my usual day as a Shinigami." He let out a deep sigh, his breath visible as a translucent cloud of warm air versus the cold twilight air. "I almost wish it would never end…"

Midori gazed at him curiously. "Really? Why?"

Izuru stopped suddenly and mentally beat himself. He had just let slip a part of what his feelings for her were. But now that he had said it and she had hear it, there was no going back. He took a deep breath. "I…enjoyed spending the entire day with you, Midori-chan. It's something I've wanted to do for a while now, but until yesterday, I hadn't found a proper or discreet way of approaching that." He tried, almost in vain, to try and stop his hands from shaking. "What I'm trying to say is…"

He locked his blue eyes with her purple-and-bluish gray eyes that were brimming with curiosity.

"I like you, Midori-chan. I really, _really _like you."

**Oooo~~ Cliffhanger~~ I'm so bad :3**

**O and the soup that Rojuro was making is basically cheddar cheese, potatoes, bacon, and sour cream~ It's actually quite delicious  
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	5. Chapter 5

**All right, final chapter! I just had to put Kisuke in cuz he's so much fun to write :D And Midori's response will be told to all via flashback~~!**

Chapter 5

"All right! Your gigai's all repaired and put away for the next time you decide to visit, Izuru-kun!" Kisuke chirped happily, but quietly, as he returned from where he stored the gigais he had reserved for specific Shinigami members.

Izuru nodded, adjusting his shihakusho to sit better on his shoulders. He was currently preparing to return to the Seireitei and continue his duties. He checked the bag of things he had purchased during his time with Midori and his eyes couldn't help but fall on the box of chocolates that Midori had given him.

_ After he had finished his confession, Midori could only stare doe-eyed at him. He didn't know what to make of this silence, so he feared that she was about to flat-out reject him when she suddenly reached into her purse and pulled out a box of chocolates._

_ Now it was Izuru's turned to be stunned as he accepted the gift from her. Even from the minimal light from the street and park lamps, he could see the deep blush on her cheeks as she replied, "Those chocolates are for you, Izuru-kun. I don't exactly know how to reply to your confession right, but if you can give me some time to sort through my feelings…"_

_ Izuru cut her short by planting a chaste kiss on her forehead. "I'm content with waiting for however long you need me to."_

_ "Um…how about White Day?" she asked tentatively. He pulled back, slightly confused. "I'll have a response for you by White Day and I'll give you my answer then."_

_ "Midori-chan, there's no reason for you to…"_

_ Midori shook her head vigorously from side to side. "No! There _is _a reason for me to set a time limit. If I wait too long, I'll eventually forget about giving you an answer; and I don't want you to wait for too long…"_

_ Izuru smiled warmly at her awkwardness and pulled her into an embrace. "I've waited centuries for a moment like this. Compared to that a month is nothing, but I will wait."_

He had walked her home shortly afterwards, grabbed his stuff, and after quick farewells from her whole family, had left to get back to Urahara's place. And now it was hours before sunrise and he was just about ready to go. As he opened a Senkaimon, someone slid the door open to his temporary room and two of the Urahara children, Ryuu and Nori, cautiously peeked their heads in.

Kisuke smiled widely at his two oldest children, reached down, and scooped them up, one in each arm. "Hey, guys. You two should be asleep."

Nori nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck. "Sorry, Tou-san, but Nori was worried about Kaa-san and Daichi-otouto…"

Ryuu nodded his head vigorously. "I was worried about Kaa-san and Daichi-otouto, too. Are they going to come home soon?"

Kisuke chuckled and bounced the two young ones in his arms. "They'll be home in a few days. The doctors just want to make sure that your kaa-san and your otouto-kun are healthy." To Izuru, he said, "Chiyo just gave birth to another wonderful son for me last week. She lost a lot of blood so they kept her a little longer to make sure she was okay."

Izuru grinned. "Congratulations, Urahara-san."

Nori looked at Izuru with curious gray eyes and asked, "Are you leaving, Shinigami-san?"

"Yes," Izuru replied, keeping his answer simple so that he did not confuse the little girl. "I have to get back home to the Seireitei."

At the word 'Seireitei', both children's eyes lit up and they started bouncing up and down in Kisuke's arms, nearly making the man fall over. Ryuu was first to say anything after their initial excitement. "Tou-san, can we go with him? Please? I'll be good!"

Nori added to her older brother's question by saying, "Nori will be good, too! So please, Tou-san?"

Kisuke, after a few unsuccessful tries, finally calmed them down and assured them by saying, "We'll go when your otouto-kun is a little older." He grinned sheepishly at Izuru, who had just been standing there and watching the spectacle with a certain level of amusement. "Sorry about them. We haven't really had the chance to take them to the Seireitei or even the Soul Society but we have told them stories about it, so they're eager to go and see them."

"It's all right," Izuru responded with a slight bow, "but with all due respect, I should be going now."

Kisuke just nodded and said, "Okay, we'll see you around. Nori, Ryuu, tell Kira-san good-bye."

The two children called good-bye to Izuru as he stepped into the shining light of the Senkaimon, a Hell Butterfly hovering over his shoulder, his living world purchases in the bag in his hand.

And he couldn't help but feel that Midori's response to his confession would turn out very well.

**And it is finished~~**

**Quick bios...again:**

**Ryuu (7) - looks like his mom, Chiyo Urahara. Rather courageous and rash.**

**Nori (4) - has her dad's eyes but her mom's hair color. Quiet and reserved unless excited.**

**Chiyo and lil' Daichi will be introduced in a later story~~~  
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